Pakistan, Oct. 27 -- More than two-thirds of Pakistan's population is under 35, presenting an extraordinary opportunity and a formidable economic challenge. The Financial Times has warned that the population could approach 400 million by 2050. Whether this expansion becomes a demographic dividend or a national burden will depend on Pakistan's ability to educate its young people, create productive employment and reform an economic model that has failed to deliver broad-based prosperity.

Pakistan's challenge is not simply to manage population growth. It is to transform the economic system through which people seek opportunity.

The Productivity Trap: Pakistan's employment challenge concerns not only the number of jobs but also their qualit...